This is an 81 lb American Wrought anvil. After some help from the great folks over at Anvilfire.com I now know what handling holes are. The Anvil face is in great shape and has a beautiful sound. Advertisements

OMG what did I get myself into!!!!!!!! Having worked with several lathes over the past 15+ years I had an idea of what I did and did not want. My first choice when purchasing a machine is always to try and go American. Secondly I try to stay away from major projects (looks as though I failed miserably with this purchase). Lastly I try to buy the best machine within my budget (typically my second choice gets worse as my desire to have the best goes up, if that makes sense). Well…here is my lathe! A lot dirty, needs electrical work, and needs a whole bunch of TLC. I have refurbish a few pieces of machinery in the past so I look forward to the challenge and I cannot wait to have a beautiful piece of American History.

The Chisel Ferrules are here. It looks like the prototype ferrules made for the James Swan Chisel were not Aluminum Bronze (not sure what the material was). The new chisel ferrules are made of 100% Aluminum Bronze and 316 Stainless. … Continue reading →

I bought two James Swan firmer Chisels off of Ebay a while ago with the intention of making a pair of skew chisels for cleaning out dovetails. I did a lot of searching on the internet for a ferrel to use on the handle but could only find the cheap brass tube with the end rounded over. That would not be good enough for my intentions. I decided that I would make my own. I chose to make the ferrel for these chisels out of Aluminum Bronze (some material I had lying around from my days as a tool and die maker). The wood I used for the chisel handles is Desert Ironwood and man is it beautiful. I finished the handle with paste wax and was sure to coat the ferrel as I don’t want it to oxidize right away. I am going to make a few more of these ferrels in 316 stainless steel and 1018 steel with a black finish for some other chisel and files that need handles. If anyone wants any email me at: tamitchelljr@gmail.com Price should be around $15 each plus shipping